Nigeria: Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove
The Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Osun State of Nigeria. It is one of the last remaining sacred forests in Yoruba culture and religion and is dedicated to Osun, the goddess of fertility, prosperity, and water. The grove is several centuries old contains shrines and sculptures, many of which were created by Susanne Wenger, an Austrian artist who adopted Yoruba religion and contributed significantly to preserving the grove. Yoruba culture and religion is deeply rooted in multi-god beliefs in deities called orishas, each responsible for different things – thunder, fertility, wisdom, purity, war, and so on – over 400 different gods. And basically everything is sacred – water, rocks, trees – and there is plenty of voodoo-like occult aspects. Yoruba culture and religion has spread well beyond Nigeria and into the western culture – Beyoncé and Rihanna have made multiple forages into it, and the entire Wakandan mythology in Black Panther is based on Yoruba beliefs. The Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove is quite spectacular to explore – lots of very funky sculptures, structures, monkeys!
